I have a confession to make. As an avid soccer fan since the late sixties plus, my 23 years as sportswriter (with a bias for football) and having “devoured” any historical literature I could lay hands on, I thought I knew all there was to know about the Black Stars.

That is until I laid hands on a copy of BLACK STARS, THE LONG ROAD TO SUCCESS, a pictorial account of Black Stars journey from the barefoot days of the ‘50s through back to back Cup of Nations wins from four consecutive finals in 1963, 1965, 1968 and 1970(winning the first two in Accra and Tunis) through winning the Cup for keeps in Accra in 1978, the Libya triumph inn’82 and our enthralling World Cup successes, edited by ace sports writer Ken Bediako.

I thought the dancing talent of the contemporary Black Stars was supreme until I discovered in vivid pictures, the Black Stars of the sixties who used to do the “kolomashie” dance for the fans before matches.

So if you want to see vivid pictures with captions on Abedi Pele mourning after a defeat at the Accra Sports Stadium with both hands on his head.

A Mr. Handsome group picture of C.K.Gyamfi, Aggrey Fynn, Ben Koufie, Addo Odametey, and E.C.Oblitey in mufti, a net being mended at the Accra Sports Stadium after Mfum’s shot had torn it, Pele of Brazil in action against Hearts of Oak at the Accra Sports Stadium and many more, then don’s miss out on this one.

IT’S A COLLECTOR’S ITEM

Note : Copies of this book can be purchase from the following locations:

• Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra
• Baba Yara Stadium , Kumasi
• Kingdom Bookshop
• Most Shell filling stations in Accra, notably Airport Shell.

• Legon Bookshop

• Vendors at Nkrumah Circle in Accra and Accra Mall or contact me via email ken@kenbediako.com

The inaugural Commonwealth Games took place in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1930 under the name British Empire Games. Incidentally, it was the same year that the FIFA World Cup started in Uruguay. The Rev Astley Cooper (1866-1894) is on record as the person who broached the idea of such Games in 1891.

At the maiden Games, eleven countries fielding 400 competitors sent teams for a programme of athletics, lawn tennis, boxing, rowing, swimming and wrestling. The English team emerged with the largest share of medals.
It was agreed that the Games would be held in varying Commonwealth cities at four year intervals, preferably mid way between Olympic Games. Participants must be amateurs and be qualified by both or residence in some member country (or dependency of a member country) of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The second British Empire Games were held in London in 1934. Although the Games had been awarded to South Africa at the conclusion of the Hamilton Games in 1930, they were never to be held there. It became apparent that some representatives of South Africa could not accept totally the tenets of the Federation’s Constitution with respect to the issue of race. As a result, London became the home of the 1934 Games. The third British Empire Games were staged in Sydney, Australia in 1938.

The world wars disrupted the Games for a while and 1950 saw its resumption in Auckland, New Zealand. The fifth Games were held in 1954 in Vancouver, Canada and it was here that the competition was renamed the British Empire Commonwealth Games.

Cardiff in Wales, hosted the sixth Games in 1958; the 1962 Games in Perth, Australia; 1966 Games in Kingston, Jamaica and 1970 Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In 1970, the title was changed to British Commonwealth Games and there has since been a move to omit the name British from the title.

The 1974 Games went to Christchurch, New Zealand; 1978 Edmonton, Canada;1982 Brisbane, Australia;1986 Edinburgh, Scotland;1990  Auckland, New Zealand; 1994 Victoria, Canada;1998, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 2002 Manchester, England;2006, Melbourne, Australia; 2010 Delhi, India.

GHANA AT THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Ghana first took part in the fifth Games in Vancouver, Canada in 1954 under the colonial name of the Gold Coast parading the empire flag of the Union Jack with the palm tree and elephant emblem.

The nation presented a token team of eight male athletes and three officials led by A.K.Konuah, for a long time Headmaster of Accra Academy Secondary School in Accra.

The athletes were Richard Ampadu, Henry Ofori Nyarko, J.K.Quartey, E.C.Nyarko (sprints); Willie Kwateng (880yds), K.Agbo (long jump), G.C.Armah (triple jump), and T.H.Amaning (hurdles). All the athletes were eliminated in the heats.

Available records indicate that J.K.Quartey was timed 50.6 secs in the 440 yds. Both Ofori Nyarko and Quartey clocked 22.9 secs in their respective 220 yds heats.

GHANA’S DEBUT: CARDIFF 1958

This was Ghana’s first Games after Independence in 1957. And as if planned to mark the occasion, the nation decided to enter one more sports discipline - boxing- in addition to athletics.

The new Ghana made her presence felt on the medals table courtesy high jumper Robert Kotei (later to become Gen Kotei) then cadet at the Military Academy in Sandhurst, England. He cleared 6ft 10in to win bronze.

Other members of the athletics contingent were F.A.Owusu, 440yds and 880 yds; J.A.Boamah, 880 yds and 1 mile; Richard Ampadu, 100yds; K.Agbo, long jump and triple jump; A.O.Lawson 100 yds and 220 yds; G.S.Laryea 100yds and 220 yds; R.M.Garber, high jump; Van Dyke, high jump.

Helena Quartey Papafio, 100yds and Cecilia Akowuah were the women athletes. Apart from bronze medalist Robert Kotei none of the athletes survived the heats; however some of them recorded appreciable results. High jumpers R.M.Garber leapt 6ft 4ins and Van Dyke cleared 6ft 3ins.

Richard Ampadu clocked 10.4 secs in the 100yds; A.O.Lawson made 22.1 secs in the 220 yds; J.K.Quartey was timed at 22.4 secs also in the 220 yds and Quartey again clocked 50 secs in the 440 yds.Woman sprinter Cecilia Akowuah did not compete on medical grounds.

In boxing, all the six competitors who trained under British coach Jack Roy failed to survive the preliminaries.
The boxers were bantamweight John Allen; featherweight Floyd Quartey; light welterweight Ike Quartey; welterweight Joseph Lartey; light- middleweight Alhassan Brimah and middleweight Samuel Osei.

Available records indicate that welterweight Joseph Lartey lost to Robert Scolt of Scotland and light-middleweight Alhassan Brimah was beaten by Billy Brown of Wales.

More to follow. Cheers everyone and keep loving sports"

The Ghana Olympic Committee is a non-governmental organization working in conjunction with the National Sports Council and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to promote and develop sports in Ghana. The Committee was originally set up in 1952 with the following objectives.

1. To disseminate the aims and ideals of the Olympic Movement and to ensure Ghana’s representation at the Olympic Games and other international Games within the Olympic movement.

2. To see the healthy development of sports in Ghana, free from political, religious, racial and commercial interference.

3. To assist in raising funds through public appeals to support Ghana’s participation in Olympic Games and other international games and to supervise the utilization and disbursement of such funds to supervise the utilization and disbursement of such funds in the interest of these Games.

4. To co-operate with sports associations in Ghana towards the development of the various sports disciplines in the country.

MEMBERSHIP OF THE GOC
The membership of the GOC is made up of representatives of the various sports associations under the auspices of the National Sports Council.

There are also representatives from the security services sports associations, the Ghana Armed Forces Police, Fire Service, Customs Excise and Preventive Service, Internal Revenue Service, and the Ghana Education Service.

The constitution provides for a general assembly which meets once in four years after each Olympic Games There should be an Executive Board that carries out the working of the GOC and a full time secretariat.

Chelsea and Arsenal have formed the nucleus of that elite class punctuating the act with hat-tricks by their top goal merchants. Not forgetting Newcastle United also thrashed Aston Villa 6-0 on Sunday with Andy Carroll grabbing his first hat-trick for Newcastle United. Defending goal king Didier Drogba’s hat-trick in Chelsea’s 6-0 mauling of West Bromwich and the one by Theo Walcott of Arsenal against Blackpool, have really set new standards in the league. It may be too early in the day but if they continue with this trend the league title could be decided well in advance of the concluding fixtures.

Chelsea’s 12 goal haul in two matches is reminiscent of their stormy finish last season that won them the cup with one point on the last day of the marathon race. Perhaps one would say The Blues want to set the records straight right from the beginning and avoid that harrowing experience of Manchester United breathing menacingly on their necks during the home stretch.

It is such characteristics that make the English Premier League the most exciting in the world. The snag however is that the best league does not make England the best football nation in the world and this is why the national concern to develop home grown talent must be taken seriously.

My favourite manager, Alex Ferguson, has said several times that investing in younger players is of more benefit in the long run. “Young players develop if you are looking after them properly. They do have a loyalty because they appreciate the education you give them as coaches”, says Sir Alex.

It may not be easy to wait for the home talent to grow when you are used to seeing the best players in action in the Premiership. The influx of wealthy owners who have become part of English football clubs may have to be critically analysed for whatever its worth. Sir Alex says these owners go on a “kamikaze” effort to spend their money.

I must confess I had to consult my dictionary to look for the meaning of “kamikaze”. It says in World War II, a member of the Japanese Air Force who volunteered to crash an aircraft laden with explosives suicidally on a target; an aircraft used in such an attack.

In the country where I hail from, many interpretations could be given to Alex Fergusons’s words, so your understanding of the usage of kamikaze is as good as mine. Currently in my country there is a heated national debate on the meaning of the popular phrase” so many ways of killing a cat”. 
Ferguson’s ominous prediction is that this kind of spending is not going to stop suddenly. It could go on for two or three years until such time as “they understand you can’t necessarily achieve all the time by spending”.

Well said Sir Alex, I didn’t know the veteran football manager could be so diplomatic at times. No offense intended I am simply impressed at the way he couched his message. The man has not mentioned any names but those who have spent millions on huge signings but are still found wanting in the European Cup know themselves.

How I wish my long standing friend Alhaji Abdul Karim Grunsah, founder of Ghana Premier Division club, King Faisal, would also be a bit diplomatic at times.

The fiery football administrator is noted for his plain talk but I am afraid his recent allegation of an existence of secret agents who collude with referees to determine the results of Premier league matches could throw Ghana football into turmoil. National security can even come in for good measure.

Hear him “some referees take cattle, sheep and goats plus cash. Most of the clubs are swimming in debts because of these things”. What an indictment. In what appeared to be a sober reflection, he appealed to his fellow club officials to stop contacting referees for favours. He ended by calling on the Football Association to review the membership of the Referees Appointing Committee.

It would be interesting to get the official reaction from the Referees Association to Grusah’s allegation. Incidentally Grunsah has a cattle ranch and the next league season starts on September 5th.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports. 

The only change I can envisage is that my favourite team, Manchester United, are most likely to make a flying start for a change and would, true to their familiar tradition, win the Cup with more to spare. I don’t expect a repetition of that nail biting close finish that saw the champions being declared on the last day of the tournament.

United’s youngsters, led by the Mexican prodigy Hernandez are extremely anxious to make an impact as was seen in the Charity Shield match against Chelsea.  Backed by the inimitable veteran Paul Scholes who has refused to grow old, United are my favourites to repeat their all conquering form that saw them winning the treble 11 years ago.

A fellow United supporter has whispered into my ears that the organizers have deliberately pushed the club’s opening match to Monday to avoid the monotony of seeing them on top at that early stage. So as things stand we would have to contend with some unfamiliar faces on top this weekend till the masters’ return to their natural habitat after Monday’s match against returnees Newcastle.

In the absence of United on the opening day, the defending champions Chelsea could give West Bromwich Albion a baptism of fire at Stamford Bridge and shoot to the top. Michael Essien has missed a lot of action because of injury and he would be anxious to recapture his brilliant combative form. Didier Drogba  would also love to defend his  top scorer crown and West Bromwich would have to stand firm especially when  Chelsea are smarting under  the 3-1 defeat to United in the Charity Shield.

The Liverpool v Arsenal encounter is definitely the pick of the day. England skipper Gerrard would have to prove that Benitez was responsible for the team’s woes. If his form in England’s last friendly match against Hungary last Wednesday is anything to go by, then he could give   Arsene Wenger’s teenagers a tough time.  Arsenal are traditional pace setters and they will be difficult to dismiss at the beginning of this marathon contest.

The remaining fixtures all have their peculiar attractions. Tottenham Hotspurs against Manchester City at White Hart Lane for example should be exciting. Tottenham were quite impressive at the closing stages of last season and it would be interesting to see how they would fare against the millionaire club desperately wishing to translate their millions into good cup winning football.

Aston Villa should be able to collect maximum points at home at the expense of West Ham; Everton may get a point at Blackburn; Bolton may drop home points to Fulham and Sunderland must beat Birmingham at home.Wigan Athletic and Blackpool could go either way but Wolves are tipped to beat Stoke at home.

It is quite admirable the way the English league sticks to their calendar. My home country Ghana sometime ago decided to copy the English and boldly pronounced that they were going to tie the Ghana season with the English. The plan failed for obvious reasons. Provisionally, the Ghana season will start in September but it is still being debated whether to have a 20 club league or not.

Indecision and failure to adhere to principles seem to be the bane of Ghana football.  After the fine show at the recent World Cup, it is being debated whether the nation should maintain the foreign coach who directed affairs or recruit a local coach.

It was in the midst of the debate about the coach and hot public discussion about the calibre of players to form the national team that Ghana sent a hurriedly assembled team to face South Africa in a friendly match and lost 1-0 in a lack lustre show.

That is Ghana football for you. The experts are too many for comfort. Cheers everybody and keep loving sports

Since Margaret hit the headlines in 2002 with a bronze at the Manchester Commonwealth Games, her first major international tournament, it had been a sick joke that with her seemingly masculine features she could have problems having a child.  I am therefore particularly happy that she has proved the skeptics wrong, just like the way my favourite South African athlete Caster Semanya has done about her so called gender status.

Margaret has quite a remarkable athletics record. She was the only Ghanaian medalist at the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002.  The Sportswriters Association of Ghana (SWAG), of which I was then an influential member, honoured her as Sports Personality of the year with a prediction that she would really go places.
Indeed in the following year, 2003 to be precise, she won gold at the 8th Africa Games held in Abuja, Nigeria.  In 2004, Margaret met a tough opposition at the Athens Olympic Games but her 9th position was regarded as quite encouraging. She was back in winning form in 2005 at the World Athletics championships in Helsinki, Finland with a bronze medal.

It was after this achievement that she decided to raise a family. She returned briefly after two years but a slight injury disrupted her progress until her remarkable return to action early in the year to make such a stunning presence at the just ended Nairobi Games.

Margaret, who is maturing like old wine, promises to make it big at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in India. She is really impressed with the performance of budding women sprinters like Rosina Amenebede, Elizabeth Amolofo, Beatrice Gyaman and Fling Owusu Agyepong at the Nairobi Games and expects a similar show at the Commonwealth Games.

These lady sprinters won bronze in the 4x100m relay in Nairobi and there is the general hope in Ghanaian sporting circles that women’s interest in athletics is back and we could soon reach the days of the Christiana Boatengs, Alice Anums, Rose Harts and Hannah Afriyies.

Who says Ghana is only interested in football? Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.

I wish to suggest seriously that political consideration should be avoided when planning a national league so that the best of talents could be found no matter where they are hidden.  This will help Ghana maintain its status as an emerging football country in the world.

At this juncture, may I send belated congratulations to the youthful German ladies for their wonderful performance. I loved the way they celebrated when they scored a goal. It appears to be a variation of the famous kangaroo dance by the Black Stars of Ghana which they have strangely stopped presumably for political reasons.

Congratulations too to our Nigerian neighbours for their fighting spirit that took them to the final. They fought a good fight but the Germans were simply impregnable.

It would have been a nice script if Nigeria had won. That would have given the ECOWAS something to boast about for achieving the double in this age group tournament. Don’t forget that Ghana is currently the men’s Under 20 champions. Come on, have you forgotten so soon that with ten men, Ghana beat the almighty Brazil at that nail biting penalty shoot-out in Egypt. That is football for you.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.